Building an Anti-Racist Vocabulary
The opposite of racist isn't 'not racist.' It is 'antiracist.' What's the difference?
One endorses either the idea of a racial hierarchy as a racist, or racial equality as an antiracist. One either believes problems are rooted in groups of people, as a racist, or locates the roots of problems in power and policies, as an antiracist. One either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial inequities, as an antiracist. There is no in-between safe space of 'not racist.’
Ibram X. Kendi, How to Be an Antiracist
Register for the Fall 2023 Series Here
The Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights presents Building an Anti-Racist Vocabulary, a lecture series and associated course presenting preeminent scholars, thought leaders, and public intellectuals to guide our community through topics necessary to an understanding of systemic racism and racial justice. The series is self-consciously an entry point, designed to provide intellectual and moral building blocks to begin the transformative work of anti-racism in our students, on our campus, and in our broader communities.
Watch videos of past speakers here
For students
Building an Anti-Racist Vocabulary is available as either a one-credit or three-credit course for Notre Dame students. The presentations will be offered via Zoom for all participants, with an additional in-classroom component for the three-credit course. Students who do not register for the class are welcome and encouraged to join individual lectures as noted below.
Course registration information here
For the Notre Dame community
Each session in the series will be synchronously available, via Zoom, to any member of the Notre Dame community—students, staff, faculty, or alumni. Join us for the whole series, or even just one lecture.
You must register to attend any part of the series. Registration provides access to all of the lectures, but you may choose which lectures to attend. We recommend early registration, as space is limited, but you may do so at any time during the semester. An nd.edu or alumni.nd.edu email address is required. Alumni who wish to obtain an alumni.nd.edu email address may do so at the Notre Dame Alumni Association, here.
Register for the Fall 2023 Series Here
For the public
Video recordings and suggested readings from many lectures will be available as the series unfolds. Check here for the latest uploads.
Watch videos of past speakers here
Guest Experts Fall 2023
Friday, September 1
Catholic Institutions and Race
Vincent Rougeau
President, College of the Holy Cross and author of Christians in the American Empire: Faith and Citizenship in the New World Order
Friday, September 8
Slavery and the American Catholic Church
Rachel Swarns
Associate Professor of Journalism, New York University, and author of The 272: The Families who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church
Friday, September 15
Criminal Justice Disparities
Felix Owusu
Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Harvard University
Friday, September 22
To be announced
Friday, September 29
Race and Drowning
Jeff Wiltse
Professor of History, University of Montana
Friday, October 6
Cancer Alley
Davin Lowell
Tulane Environmental Law Clinic
Pam Spees
Center for Constitutional Rights
Friday, October 13
Climate Inequality
Angel Hsu
Assistant Professor of Public Policy, University of North Carolina
Friday, October 27
Reparations
Kamilah Moore
California Reparations Task Force
Friday, November 3
The Future of Affirmative Action
Richard Kahlenberg
Non-resident scholar, Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy
Friday, November 10
Race as a Social Construct
Jennifer Guglielmo
Associate Professor of History, Smith College, and author of Living the Revolution: Italian Women's Resistance and Radicalism in New York City, 1880-1945
Friday, November 17
Political Participation
Jamil Scott
Assistant Professor of Political Science, Georgetown University
Friday, December 1
Oxford Dictionary of African American English
Sonja Laneheart
Professor of Linguistics, University of Arizona